The season may be winding down but it is also very much heating up.
Round 25 saw the Sea Eagles season officially end, while the Cowboys and Eels remain a mathematical chance only, which probably says it all.
At the bottom end of the table, the Tigers won a thriller and kept their chances of avoiding the wooden spoon alive, while the Bulldogs, Dragons and Titans all failed to fire.
Below are 20 thoughts from an entertaining, and for many teams, season-defining Round 25
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1. Todd Smith was absolutely correct in his explanation of why he didn't award a penalty on Friday night when Reuben Garrick was tackled in the air. There is no protection offered once a ball bounces. I believe this rule will change in the off-season as it flies in the face of player welfare. I believe it will be just like the standard competing for the ball rule. Just because the ball has bounced, it doesn't mean we shouldn't protect players.
2. Sticking with this, not for a second I am suggesting that Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad did anything wrong. It was a complete accident and well within the rules. It's the rule that needs changing.
3. It must be literally impossible for the Canberra Raiders to record a 13+ win this season. 18 points up over the hapless Bulldogs, with minutes to go, a bounce of the ball lead to a highly unlikely Liam Knight try to bring the margin back to 12 point. I can't believe they didn't slot a field goal in the final play to get the monkey off the back.
4. The Sharks have looked a completely different side on both sides of the ball over the past month. The long overdue move to replace Matt Moylan with Braydon Trindall is paying off twofold. One, Trindall has largely sured up that left edge, and secondly Trindall's kicking game has freed up Nicho Hynes to play what is in front of him. Too many times Hynes was simply shovelling the ball late in the set, knowing he couldn't be caught as he was the only kicking option.
5. With two weeks to go we face a situation where a number of teams can finish anywhere from fourth to tenth. The Sharks, Storm and Raiders are all in a battle for that final top four spot, but two losses to any of those sides can see them potentially miss finals altogether. This is a brilliant season.
6. Hip drops are the bane of my existence. We're constantly seeing similar tackles ruled upon differently. Some are fines, other are suspensions. The NRL needs to come out and confirm that, just like high tackles, each tackle will be ruled upon as per that tackle. Earlier in the season every hip drop resulted in a sin bin and suspension. That is no longer the case.
7. Just on this, you cannot convince me that injuries are not being taken into account when the MRC rules on these tackles. Despite denials that injuries aren't taken into account, they absolutely are. This is probably a good thing for the record.
8. About a month ago there were talks that Adam O'Brien wanted a new contract. I praised the Knights for not reacting and locking in a long-term deal. O'Brien's Knights have since gone undefeated and have lit up the competition. Now he can confidently walk back in and have that conversation.
9. Ivan Cleary is slowly resting his players as the Panthers prepare for yet another title charge. Rather than resting all his big guns in the final round of the competition proper, he is sitting three or four out each week. A brilliant move.
10. If Kalyn Ponga had played three or four more games, he probably steals the Dally M medal away from Shaun Johnson.
11. Latrell Mitchell is a wonderful player. Megastar in every sense of the word. Unfortunately he is very prone to letting his frustration get the better of him. His moment of madness looks like it will see him miss the Bunnies do or die match with the Roosters in the final round. Not good.
12. I am an unashamed fan of Jamie Soward. His passion for the women's game is unmatched and I love it. Anyone who hasn't seen his reaction to his side's last minute win on the weekend really needs to seek out that footage.
13. Cowboys fans bleat on, albeit correctly, about the seventh tackle try they copped prior to the seven tackles becoming common place. What about the poor old Bunnies who copped an eighth tackle try? Rugby league continues to shock and surprise.
14. Sticking with the Bunnies ... I'm almost scared to say this but I think it's time to admit letting Adam Reynolds go is an all time blunder. Lachlan Ilias just hasn't delivered as the club had hoped. There's a player in there but 2023 certainly hasn't seen his best.
15. Jordan Rapana is the game's most talented magician. It seems as though the bloke is put on report every single week. Sometimes on multiple occasions. Yet he always seems to avoid suspension. For the record his knee's in tackle should have resulted in an eight point try on Sunday afternoon.
16. Corey Oates looks set to move on from the Broncos sooner than later. If he's still looking a shift into the second row, I dare say there will be a few clubs looking at his services. At wing, probably not so much, despite his talents.
17. To nobody's surprise, the Melbourne Storm have once again recruited a fringe first grader and have turned him into a star. This time it is Eliesa Katoa who certainly left his mark on the the Dragons over the weekend.
18. It's probably left the news cycle already but congrats to the Tigers on finally moving Tim Sheens on. Yes, it was many months too late but it's done now. The Benji reign has begun!
19. If the Roosters manage to squeak into the finals, I wouldn't want to play them. They're coming good at the right end of the season and that roster is fearsome. A fair few fans will be strongly in the corner of Tigers this weekend.
20. It's going to be a long off-season for the Eels as they try and find out exactly what went wrong in 2023. They'll likely coping a hiding against the Panthers this weekend and will end their season early due to the Round 27 bye. Fair to say that they've massively underachieved this year. Or did they overachieve last year?
Eels – overachieved last season. This year Brad Arthur’s habit of demanding too many minutes from Paulo and Campbell-Gillard, and not making proper use of his bench, finally showed the folly of the strategy.
JP and RCG are getting older. Playing them for excess minutes, simply because they are the best (and best-paid) forwards makes no sense. League is a team sport, but Brad does not always appreciate that.
I would not be surprised to see the club move him on, as soon as they can find a decent replacement. Maybe Adam O’Brien could find a new gig, if Newcastle are unwilling to give him an extension on decent terms.